It’s really no secret that we, in this country and across the globe, are experiencing a nursing shortage. All the industry publications point to it and its only expected to get worse. It feels impossible in the current environment for healthcare organizations to find and hire qualified nursing staff. In fact providers and healthcare organizations everywhere are struggling to fill critical staff positions, leading the International Council of Nurses to brand the current situation a “global health emergency.” Now more than ever its critical that healthcare recruiters find nurses.
How Can Healthcare Recruiters Find Nurses Today?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a minimum 16% increase in the demand for nurses this year alone. That relates to millions of nursing staff members and promises to grow. The best thing for healthcare organizations right now is to get proactive and don’t let the gaps cause potential issues in patient care.
What led up to the current crisis? It seems it was the perfect storm of pandemic-related burnout, long-established nurses opting to retire and a large aging population putting a strain on healthcare facilities, from doctors offices to long-term care. There is a steady flow out the door of quality nursing staff that your organization’s hiring managers just can’t seem to stem.
Healthcare is an essential need and providers need good nurses to facilitate that need. It’s necessary to have ample staff to support the needs of your patients but where do healthcare recruiters find nurses? As more healthcare organizations struggle to come up with creative ways to meet those needs, medical staffing agencies play a vital role in providing qualified nursing staff. Here we explain all the ways healthcare recruiters find nurses through medical staffing to meet the demands of your facility.
Recruiters Find Nurses Through Medical Staffing Agencies
Healthcare facilities throughout the US are turning to staffing agencies to remedy their staff shortages. Working with a medical staffing agency offers plenty of benefits to healthcare organizations. These nurses ensure excellent patient care is front and center for your organization and staffing agencies offer your organization the flexibility to address high-volume periods and back down when the census is low.
Medical staffing agencies are essentially employment agencies that specialize in matching qualified medical professionals with those healthcare organizations that need them. Agencies fill the gap created by nursing shortages in all areas of healthcare. From physicians offices to clinics to hospitals and long term care facilities recruiters find nurses specific to the job. The needs of the healthcare organization may be long term, per-diem, short term or even permanent.
Recruiting Potential Staff
You may wonder how staffing agencies work with healthcare recruiters to find nurses. As soon as you reach out to us our medical staffing agency gets right to work finding the ideal nurse to fill your open position. We begin this task by asking a series of questions that identify your more specific staff needs. Then we set about selecting the best nurse or healthcare professional tailored to meet the requirements of the open position.
Many potential candidates come to medical staffing agencies driven by a desire to find the position that best suits them and where they are in life. A member of the nursing pool at an agency may be a well-seasoned professional who wants to take on part-time employment, a nurse fresh out of school looking for experience in healthcare or someone new to the area.
The time period in which healthcare recruiters find nurses varies according to the staff requirements. For example if you need someone to fill a specialty position in geriatrics or orthopedics it may take a bit longer to find someone with those skills. But we have a large pool of healthcare professionals from which to draw so it simply depends on your needs. Our qualified candidates are available to work even on short notice.
Types of Medical Staffing Placements
No matter what your nursing staff needs are, medical staffing agencies are here to answer the call. Our efficient method of helping healthcare organizations find the right staff to fulfill their demands begins with ascertaining the type of placement you require. Here are some of the placement particulars we cover.
- Per-Diem: A per-diem nurse is essentially on-call as needed. They work locally (as opposed to a short term travel nurse) and keep available to fill immediate gaps in staff. The term per-diem means per day. The candidate is not guaranteed a set number of hours and may find they’re needed for a period of a few weeks or a single day. The per-diem nurse answers the call when there is an immediate need due to staff shortages, increase in demand for nursing staff or a last minute cancellation or no-show.
- Pro Re Nata: Most healthcare facilities have a pool of pro re nata, or PRN, nurses that call on when they need them. The term means “as needed” and these candidates are even more flexible than the per-diem nurses. They are often called on when your facility needs someone to cover holidays or special situations.
- Travel Nurse: Travel nurses fill gaps in different geographical locations. They work in rural areas where needs are high or in big city facilities that may experience a good bit of turnover or influx of patients at any given time. These nurses typically work short term contracts that may last a few weeks to a few months. The needs are determined on a case-by-case basis and travel nurses aren’t the best answer for those facilities and organizations that experience chronic short staffing.
- Temp-to-Perm: This is akin to a trial period. The staff member begins the contract as a temporary hire and if they like the position and the organization likes them they may secure a permanent position. Travel nurses who find they really enjoy a certain assignment and the location may opt for a temp-to-perm situation.
- Permanent Placement: Facilities with consistent staffing demands should reach out to the medical staffing agency for full-time or part-time permanent placement. The healthcare organization is matched with nurses who are interested in staying in one area and are in it for the long term.
Screening and Due Diligence
Another benefit to using a medical staffing agency to help healthcare recruiters find nurses? The staffing agency takes care of all of the preliminary background checks. We check the following:
- Verify references
- Confirm candidate’s certification and other credentials
- Run criminal background checks
- Screen for drugs
- Validate immunizations
This means the staff member we place with your organization can hit the ground running. There’s no hold ups while you wait on background checks to come back and there’s no concerns regarding potential issues with compliance in certification or other qualifications. When its critical your recruiters find nurses as soon as possible we’re here.
Flexible Terms to Suit Your Staff Needs
The above-mentioned flexibility helps healthcare workers find nurses to address staff shortages due to different circumstances. Staffing shortages may be due to temporary absences such as family leave. Other shortages may relate directly to demand, such as you see during flu season or during the recent Covid pandemic. When you turn to a medical staffing agency you’ll find staff to suit whatever terms you need.
Whether you have a position to fill because a nurse is on leave or you need someone who can work full time in a possible permanent position, a medical staffing agency offers the best opportunity to find a qualified candidate in a very reasonable amount of time.
Medical Staffing Agencies Handle it All
There are so many reasons to hand over your staff search to a medical staffing agency. Beyond performing the due diligence that ensures a specific staff opening is filled by a qualified candidate, another benefit of working with a staffing agency is they take on tasks usually handled by your HR department.
The medical staffing agency serves as the employer of record which means they handle everything from payroll to taxes, benefits like health and dental insurance, vacation pay and short term disability. Our candidates have already filled out an application, received a thumbs-up on their background check and screening and are ready to begin work as soon as you need them.
What You Need to Consider
A professional medical staffing agency is perhaps the greatest way healthcare organizations can mitigate the issues of nursing shortages. However, there are some things to consider when you seek the help of a medical staffing agency.
Number one being the quality of candidates in the agency’s nursing pool.
At BOS Medical Staffing our nursing candidates have been fully vetted and as mentioned above, screened for any and all qualifications necessary to the job. You can trust the excellence of the candidates who come from BOS Medical Staffing.
Another point you must consider is the urgency with which the agency finds a match to fill your open staff positions. For the reputation of your facility alone you can’t afford to wait too long to fill staff openings. Because we have the nursing pool and our candidates are already pre-screened and meet your qualifications we’re able to find the right candidate for you in a short amount of time.
Of course medical staffing agencies run the gamut when it comes to cost but this is absolutely one of those scenarios where you get what you pay for. If you’re tempted to use the cheapest agency you can find, think again. Corners are cut somewhere. Is it in the vetting process? Consider that the quality of staff directly relates to the quality of the agency. At BOS we know our search for excellence and recruitment practices, high standards and dedication to finding the right candidate for you will prove a success for your healthcare organization.
Prevent Problems Before They Happen
As nurses leave the profession in vastly greater numbers than ever before hospitals, physical rehabilitation services, long-term care, doctors offices and clinics are tasked with finding replacements to fill staff openings. But that task is time consuming and yields far fewer nursing candidates than you’ll find when you work with a medical staffing agency. Healthcare organizations who are serious about finding the right staff to meet their increasing patient load need to partner with a staffing agency that offers reliable solutions.
Staffing gaps are a challenge for any industry but when the shortage occurs in healthcare it impacts the wellness of entire communities. When there just aren’t enough nurses your facility becomes short-staffed and your employees feel overworked which leads to burnout which leads to high staff turnover rates. Of course this leads to dangerous risks to patient safety. It’s a snowball effect and you can’t let your short staffing get out of control.
Medical Staffing That Works For You
BOS Medical Staffing wants your healthcare facility to hire better, work smarter and experience the ease and professionalism of working with our staffing agencies. Let us do the heavy lifting while you tend to the needs of your medical organization by providing excellent patient care. We specialize in placement of quality nursing staff for all occupational settings and healthcare needs. Please reach out to BOS Medical Staffing and let us find nurses for you.
